posted 22nd Jan 2012, 7:03 AM

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22nd Jan 2012, 7:03 AM

I've stolen and fast-forwarded from Polanski's version of "Macbeth" in the '70s. There, all of Mackers' troops leave after this monologue. Here, they sneak out during it.

This is basically the anti-St. Crispan's Day speech. If you don't know it, here it is (and with Branagh: www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1Ulz-Qwnx8&feature=fvst) If you haven't the attention span (how?) nor know of it, just know this is where you get the phrase "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" comes from, where outnumbered British (not just English) troops are whipped up to fight the French. It's simply awesome.

This monologue is an entirely different flavour of awesome. This is bleak, dire, and fearsomely resigned. Who is to step up and fight with such a leader?

And if anyone's still wondering about the Seyton=Satan issue, bear in mind the devil has less interest in "winning" on earth than in capturing souls. Mackers was lost before, but here he just gives in to the fate that has been foretold - a fate given to him by the witches.

22nd Jan 2012, 3:53 PM

It's a fine line between powerful but loud acting and the type of overacting called "scenery chewing." in some cases it's a good, fun thing; in others (like here), it's to be avoided at all costs. The volumes and dynamics hinted at by the font sizes could well backfire.

And the title's one of the last things I do. Sometimes it's just a random goof or riff, and sometimes it's a hint to the meaning... though I can't think of any examples offhand.